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Faber-Castell Loom Extra Fine Or Fine


CheesyWalnut

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I currently own a pilot metropolitan with a fine nib and find it a little too thin and scratchy at times (I have checked if the tines are misaligned). I am planning on purchasing a faber-castell loom as a second pen, but I'm not sure if I should get the fine or extra fine nib. The fine nib seems too broad on the goulet nib nook, and I'm leaning toward the extra fine loom since I am currently a student and do not always have access to good paper. Does anyone know if the smoothness of the extra fine is comparable to the fine on the loom and how the extra fine loom compares to the fine metropolitan?

 

All suggestions are welcome. Thanks.

Edited by CheesyWalnut
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German nibs are generally a bit broader than their Japanese counterparts. So a loom's EF may be a bit broader than Metropolitan's EF, however I think, if you can, should try first.

 

However, if you're not sure on nib width, why not buy a Lamy? Their nibs are widely available can be changed in 15 seconds flat and their Safaris and Al-Stars are really durable pens. Last but not the least, their nibs are designed to be changed by the owner, not the service.

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Faber-Castell steel EF nibs are quite close in width to the Pilot F (unlike most Western EF, which are significantly wider than most Japanese F). The feel of the nib is quite different though. As far as EFs go, Faber-Castell's are usually quite smooth imho.

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I have the loom in F and EF. Ef was too thin so I bought an F. To my surprise they wrote the same. I played with the F and its now wetter. The metro F and the loom EF should be the same and the loom slightly smoother but in my experience all nibs write differently. I now avoid all EF nibs because they seem choked or are scratchy. But the Loom is still in circulation but not used as much. It was a very cheap pen, I just found it puts too much weight on the nib when I write and the matt is abit slippery at times, minor nuances. All in all a good pen, great nib so smooth wise loom F is abit smoother but you may have to make it abit wetter. I would recommend the F Loom but like I said my one came writing the same as the EF and I had to play around abit.

Side note the Loom M is totally different, its wide but it is waay smoother than the F and EF.

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I have the loom in F and EF. Ef was too thin so I bought an F. To my surprise they wrote the same. I played with the F and its now wetter. The metro F and the loom EF should be the same and the loom slightly smoother but in my experience all nibs write differently. I now avoid all EF nibs because they seem choked or are scratchy. But the Loom is still in circulation but not used as much. It was a very cheap pen, I just found it puts too much weight on the nib when I write and the matt is abit slippery at times, minor nuances. All in all a good pen, great nib so smooth wise loom F is abit smoother but you may have to make it abit wetter. I would recommend the F Loom but like I said my one came writing the same as the EF and I had to play around abit.

Side note the Loom M is totally different, its wide but it is waay smoother than the F and EF.

 

I bought the extra fine nib before seeing your post, it should arrive in a few days and hopefully It will work well for me. The goulet pens nib nook shows the fine loom to be much thicker than the extra fine, so I decided the extra fine would work better for me on bad paper. How does your fine nib loom do on cheap paper? I might exchange mine if it doesn't work out. Thanks

 

 

 

German nibs are generally a bit broader than their Japanese counterparts. So a loom's EF may be a bit broader than Metropolitan's EF, however I think, if you can, should try first.

 

However, if you're not sure on nib width, why not buy a Lamy? Their nibs are widely available can be changed in 15 seconds flat and their Safaris and Al-Stars are really durable pens. Last but not the least, their nibs are designed to be changed by the owner, not the service.

Unfortunately, there is no brick and mortar store close enough to me where I can try out a few pens. I've considered the lamy safari, but I heard that the faber castell nibs were smoother.
Edited by CheesyWalnut
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Unfortunately, there is no brick and mortar store close enough to me where I can try out a few pens. I've considered the lamy safari, but I heard that the faber castell nibs were smoother.

 

 

I have a lot of Lamys at different ages (Honestly, I generally use mediums). They get very smooth in 1-2 months of normal use and they are very durable pens. The smoothness rivals my Cross and Sheaffer inlaid 14K pens' nibs, they only differ in feedback. I don't use top notch papers eiter. Maybe you can consider one later.

 

Congrats on your new FC. Hope it lasts a lifetime. :)

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Let us know how you went with the extra fine.

 

I chose the extra fine since I need a finer nib for writing on cheap paper, and heard the ef nib was similar to the fine metropolitan. I have received the pen and the extra fine is slightly broader than the fine metropolitan. Also, the combination of the heavy weight of the pen and the slippery grip make it feel unwieldy, and the cap and clip are plastic and not very pleasant to use, so I do not think I will be keeping this pen.

 

Here is a writing sample using various inks on mead notebook paper, the line will probably be thinner on something like a rhodia notepad. (please excuse my handwriting)

 

All of this was written with the ef loom except nooder's black, which was written with a fine metropolitan.

 

post-135555-0-90497100-1491259219_thumb.jpeg

 

I will probably get a lamy safari or logo based on bayindirh's suggestion

Edited by CheesyWalnut
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I highly recommend the Lamy Nexx over the Safari. The Nexx grip is much more comfortable, IMO. Same nibs.

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That is pretty fat compared to my EF. Give it a few goes, some days I cant write with it and some days the weight and grip are fine. Its a nice enough nib to keep the Loom. Don't want you to regret it later.

I had the same problem with the Metro, I thought it was weighty and I couldnt grip it properly so I sold that too.

I had an EF Safari and it seemed choked, the ink was coming out dry, now I have an F and it writes fat. You can tell I have spent money to learn, even rebought some pens.

Edit. My Safari is so smooth but has a tight sweet spot.

Edited by Mrpink
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I chose the extra fine since I need a finer nib for writing on cheap paper, and heard the ef nib was similar to the fine metropolitan. I have received the pen and the extra fine is slightly broader than the fine metropolitan. Also, the combination of the heavy weight of the pen and the slippery grip make it feel unwieldy, and the cap and clip are plastic and not very pleasant to use, so I do not think I will be keeping this pen.

 

Here is a writing sample using various inks on mead notebook paper, the line will probably be thinner on something like a rhodia notepad. (please excuse my handwriting)

 

All of this was written with the ef loom except nooder's black, which was written with a fine metropolitan.

 

attachicon.gifAttachment-1.jpeg

 

I will probably get a lamy safari or logo based on bayindirh's suggestion

 

I wouldn't judge that fast, give the pen and yourself some time to get familiar. However, I wouldn't obsess over nib fineness for cheap papers. You need a pen which is not very wet and an ink which behaves well. Salix and Noodler's black behaves very well on your paper. From my experience, Lamy's blue will behave similarly.

 

You can consider a Nexx as TSherbs says, which has similar styling to Loom, but Safari is probably lighter. If you fancy, you can try an Al-Star too. All of them have the exact same nibs, so you can change your nib width only by buying a new nib (they are removable with sticky tape; even Lamy shows you how to do it, so it's safe). Lamy's nibs start a bit too dry, then after a month they become a bit wider and wetter and much smoother, so you may want an F to start with.

 

 

I highly recommend the Lamy Nexx over the Safari. The Nexx grip is much more comfortable, IMO. Same nibs.

 

I think the OP should try both, since he doesn't like heavy bodied pens, a safari may be easier to control at that point. My daily writer is an Al-Star but sometimes lightness of safari makes a difference (esp. when I'm tired)

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I wouldn't judge that fast, give the pen and yourself some time to get familiar. However, I wouldn't obsess over nib fineness for cheap papers. You need a pen which is not very wet and an ink which behaves well. Salix and Noodler's black behaves very well on your paper. From my experience, Lamy's blue will behave similarly.

 

You can consider a Nexx as TSherbs says, which has similar styling to Loom, but Safari is probably lighter. If you fancy, you can try an Al-Star too. All of them have the exact same nibs, so you can change your nib width only by buying a new nib (they are removable with sticky tape; even Lamy shows you how to do it, so it's safe). Lamy's nibs start a bit too dry, then after a month they become a bit wider and wetter and much smoother, so you may want an F to start with.

 

 

 

I think the OP should try both, since he doesn't like heavy bodied pens, a safari may be easier to control at that point. My daily writer is an Al-Star but sometimes lightness of safari makes a difference (esp. when I'm tired)

 

I don't like judging a product this fast, but the clip on my loom also does not close all the way and is basically unusable, and I have contacted goulet pens customer service and they said this is normal on the loom.

 

Thanks for everyone's suggestions, I will be looking into the lamy nexx, I'm not sure why nobody is talking about it, it seems pretty nice.

Edited by CheesyWalnut
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I don't like judging a product this fast, but the clip on my loom also does not close all the way and is basically unusable, and I have contacted goulet pens customer service and they said this is normal on the loom.

 

Thanks for everyone's suggestions, I will be looking into the lamy nexx, I'm not sure why nobody is talking about it, it seems pretty nice.

 

It's mostly a matter of taste and style. I personally like German's Bauhaus design movement and the Nordic countries minimalistic designs, so Safari and CP1 appeal me most.

 

Loom and Nexx has its own character and they are similar pens in terms of design language, so I can understand why Nexx is more appealing to you, and I respect that.

 

If everyone of us liked the same thing, we wouldn't have this number of pens, inks, nibs and essentially this forum. :)

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One should think ahead.... :rolleyes: To having fun at home, scribbling with one of the 1,000 inks on good to better papers.

We do live in The Golden Age of Inks.

 

In you don't like that pen...there are many others.

 

With an western F you can use shading inks....not so with an EF or Japanese F's.

 

Shading inks are light enough to see two tones as it dries on top of the paper. I chase only those inks. Soon I'll chase sheen....and I bet a wider nib gives more sheen too.

M actually is a very good nib for shading....may be adequate for sheen.

 

 

Do remember there are dry, medium and wet inks...on poor paper you do want a dry ink. A dry ink will give you a thinner line. A wet ink a wider line.

Edited by Bo Bo Olson

In reference to P. T. Barnum; to advise for free is foolish, ........busybodies are ill liked by both factions.

 

 

The cheapest lessons are from those who learned expensive lessons. Ignorance is best for learning expensive lessons.

 

 

 

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One should think ahead.... :rolleyes: To having fun at home, scribbling with one of the 1,000 inks on good to better papers.

We do live in The Golden Age of Inks.

 

In you don't like that pen...there are many others.

 

With an western F you can use shading inks....not so with an EF or Japanese F's.

 

Shading inks are light enough to see two tones as it dries on top of the paper. I chase only those inks. Soon I'll chase sheen....and I bet a wider nib gives more sheen too.

M actually is a very good nib for shading....may be adequate for sheen.

 

 

Do remember there are dry, medium and wet inks...on poor paper you do want a dry ink. A dry ink will give you a thinner line. A wet ink a wider line.

 

In my experience, a wet enough medium creates sheen, however I'm not particularly chasing it. In the shading part, I'm neutral towards it, however moderate shading makes the writing more animate and hand crafted, and I like it.

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One should think ahead.... :rolleyes: To having fun at home, scribbling with one of the 1,000 inks on good to better papers.

We do live in The Golden Age of Inks.

 

In you don't like that pen...there are many others.

 

With an western F you can use shading inks....not so with an EF or Japanese F's.

 

Shading inks are light enough to see two tones as it dries on top of the paper. I chase only those inks. Soon I'll chase sheen....and I bet a wider nib gives more sheen too.

M actually is a very good nib for shading....may be adequate for sheen.

 

 

Do remember there are dry, medium and wet inks...on poor paper you do want a dry ink. A dry ink will give you a thinner line. A wet ink a wider line.

 

I do like the shading with European ef nibs, it is a nice subtle effect with some inks and my writing isn't particularly large. Thanks for the information.

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.....Thanks for everyone's suggestions, I will be looking into the lamy nexx, I'm not sure why nobody is talking about it, it seems pretty nice.

 

??

 

Do you mean other than the one that I posted just above this comment of yours and another member responded to?

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??

 

Do you mean other than the one that I posted just above this comment of yours and another member responded to?

I've never seen much discussion about the lamy nexx on this forum in general or elsewhere Edited by CheesyWalnut
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Lamy Nexx is considered the next level up from Lamy abc, which is the absolute student's pen. Lamy Safari is the next step up from Nexx & Nexx m.

 

Safari is a remarkable design. It's both a big departure in terms of design language (See Dieter Rams and Bauhaus design language), and the design is very timeless both in time and the user's age. It's always usable, it's always modern, it's always retro at the same time. Because of these features, it's normal for safari and al-star to get all the attention.

 

Even semi-affordable models like cp1, st and logo lives in the shadow of the safari and al-star :) I own a cp1 and it's really the purest form writing can get from my perspective.

 

Premium Lamy models are a different story. They are a completely different category and their audience is much more narrower, however I think whether a medium 2000 is always a good choice in the long run.

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